Cold Snow, Warm Hearts
by Liza Taylor
Summary: A friend from the past, the family of the present. Which to choose? Old life of hardship or new of warmth and happiness? A Rune Haven Contest entry.


**Well, here's my entry for the Warmth theme Rune Haven contest. **

The heavy snow smacked against the window while the wind howled. It was not a night to be outside. The snowstorm would chill anyone to the bone and make them disappear in the cold night.

The houses were stocked with wood, the chimneys worked like mad to pump out the smoke as the fireplaces were lit brightly to keep the inhabitances warm. However, not all needed the warmth of fire to keep them from freezing.

Near the home of Kyle, the barn stood proudly against the high winds. Fenrir, a silver wolf, lifted his head from his paws and looked out the small window near the top of the barn.

"It's really coming down out there."

Fenrir turned his long head as Fluffy, the wooly waddled over. If they were in the forest the two would be predator and prey. Fluffy here would just be a meal to fill Fenrir's belly up. But they were both now under the care of Kyle. Those old tendencies in the wild didn't matter anymore.

"You're right about that," growled Fenrir as he turned his head to look up at the window again. He was happy that he was on the top floor. On the lower ones there were no windows. The wild snow outside reminded Fenrir of his old home. This weather was quite normal there.

He smiled, revealing a sharp set of teeth. Fluffy wasn't frightened. It wasn't the first time Fenrir had done this and it wouldn't be the last.

"Can you two be quiet?" snapped Teri the buffamoo from her corner of the barn floor. Unlike Fenrir and Fluffy she was trying to sleep. Fenrir really didn't understand her at all. She could sleep through a thunderstorm but a little talking she couldn't handle.

"Sorry Teri," said Fluffy. He rubbed his little hands in the wool growing from his body. A nervous habit.

"Leave us alone," said Fenrir as he opened his jaw in a large yawn. "We're just talking. Plus there's a storm raging out there. It's louder than we are."

Teri grumbled something under her breath before shifting herself so her back was to the two monsters.

"She's so grumpy," commented Fenrir before returning his attention to Fluffly. The wooly was shifting back and forth on his little feet. "You've got to be kidding me. You actually don't want to talk anymore?"

"Teri's scary," whispered Fluffy. "I mean, look at those hooves! She could crush me before I could even move!"

Fenrir rolled his eyes. Dramatic much? His ears flicked to the door of the barn as he heard the sounds of it being unlocked from the outside. He got to his paws just as it opened. Cold air rushed into the warm barn. Fluffy ran to the back where the straw was kept to keep himself warm. Teri opened her eyes and protested the air with a loud moo. Fenrir was the only one to stand his ground. The cold air that buffed his fur was nothing. He could deal with it.

Kyle walked inside the barn. He was bundled up in a lot of clothing to keep himself warm. Fenrir's eyes narrowed as he smelled fear coming off the young man. Only a bad thing would cause Kyle to venture out to the barn in a storm.

"Aria."

Fenrir froze. Aria? "Did something happen to her?" he asked. Of course all Kyle heard were a mix of growls and barks but like always the young man knew what Fenrir was asking.

"We had an argument and then she ran up to her room," explained Kyle. "She hadn't made a sound in a while so Yue went up to check on her and she was gone. The window was open…"

Fenrir didn't have to hear anymore.

"Good luck!" called Fluffy as Fenrir dashed out into the snow.

The storm blazed around him at full force and the scents in the air were muddled because of it. He didn't care. He raced on his powerful legs to the home of Kyle and Yue and sniffed the ground under the window. There was barely anything left but Fenrir caught a scent. A familiar scent. He growled low in his throat.

"Fenrir? Find something?" asked Kyle.

Fenrir looked up at the young man that had taken care of him all these years. There was no way Fenrir could repay all this man has done for him. And now, and now this had to happen.

"Fenrir?" asked Kyle, his voice finally betraying the worry he felt for his daughter. "Did you?"

Fenrir didn't say anything. Instead he pushed himself away from the house and ran. He could hear Kyle calling for him but there was no time. If Fenrir was correct, Aria was in more danger than Kyle realized. And it was his fault.

The Padova Mountains came in view but Fenrir didn't stop to stare. He ran into the icy area and quickly made his way through a small side path that he thought he would never have to use again. It was a path that Kyle didn't know about.

Through the snowstorm, Fenrir pushed on. There was no way he would lose to something like this. He would not let the warmth given to him by Kyle's family disappear.

Like how he remembered it, the path led to an open area. Ice walls lifted high in the air making the only way in and out was the way Fenrir had come. For some strange reason the snowstorm did not reach this little place. It was deathly quiet.

"I knew you would come."

"Where is she?" growled Fenrir angrily to the silver wolf standing in the middle of the room.

The silver wolf sat on his haunches. Scars lined his silver fur and his eyes hinted a bit of mad. He blinked slowly as he watched Fenrir carefully. "So the stories are true. You did give up your life out here to live with the humans."

"I don't have time for you Ranshi," spat Fenrir. "Where is she?"

"Fenrir?"

The voice of a young girl tore through Fenrir's anger. With keen eyes he spotted the young six year old girl in a small cave in one of the ice walls. Her little head was peeking out. Her scent wasn't one of fear but of worry. He chuckled to himself. Aria wasn't the kind of girl to get scared by a situation like this. For that she took after her father.

Ranshi moved over until he blocked Fenrir's view of the girl. "I can't believe this," he snarled. His legs were bent in a ready to pounce position. "Fenrir. The great silver wolf that was going to become the next head of pack now a follower of the humans."

Fenrir pulled his lips back in a snarl. "Criticize me all you want but don't you don't you dare talk about them like that!" He knew what Ranshi wanted and he knew there was no other way to resolve this.

The wolf released his wild instincts. The one that he had locked away ever since Kyle had took him in. He let off a low warning growl before launching himself at Ranshi. The wolves snapped their large powerful jaws at each other, trying to be the first to draw blood. The snow kicked up into the air making it impossible to tell the difference between the two.

A sharp pain shot through Fenrir's leg and the flurrying snow subsided. Ranshi's teeth were clamped tightly around Fenrir's leg. Ranshi released Fenrir's leg and his teeth connected with Fenrir's shoulder while his long claws raked the wolf's fur. Fenrir howled in pain and tried to counterattack but Ranshi jumped away.

The wolf fell into the snow, his red blood tainting it. Ranshi stood a couple pawsteps away. He howled in laughter as Fenrir glared up at him from the snow. His whole body hurt. He had never had injuries like this before. Well, he didn't have them for long for Kyle used healing magic on him the second he got hurt.

"Look at you," laughed Ranshi. He lifted to the sky as he released yips of joy. "The great Fenrir reduced to this." He lowered his head and met his eyes with Fenrir. "Well, now let's finish this shall we?"

Fenrir growled angrily but there was nothing he could do to stop Ranshi from getting closer and closer to him with his sharp claws and teeth. The cold snow pressed against his fur. It chilled him. For once in a long time he was afraid.

"Fenrir!" Aria stood in front of Fenrir, her arms spread out. "You won't touch him!" she screamed to Ranshi. "Fenrir is my best friend! You won't touch him!"

The wolf looked up at the young girl in shock. The girl who didn't cry when she scraped her knee was now crying freely. "He's my dear friend!" she cried. "Stop hurting him!"

Ranshi's lips pulled back in a teeth-filled smile. "Well, well. Maybe I should kill the human first."

Fenrir's eyes widen. "Aria!" he yelled to the girl. "Run!"

Aria looked back at Fenrir, her tears stained her pretty face, "No," she said to him. She smiled. "Fenrir. You're family. I can't leave you here."

Just like Kyle.

She was just like him.

"It's over!" roared Ranshi as he pushed off against the snow.

Fenrir shut his eyes tight.

Ranshi's pawsteps kicked snow into the air.

Aria felt a fast moving wind pass her.

Ranshi roared in pain. He looked down angrily. "Fenrir!" he growled to the wolf.

Fenrir's eyes looked up. His jaw was clamped around Ranshi's foot. Aria was only a hairbreath away.

The young girl smiled and slowly backed away. Not to escape but to give Fenrir room. "Go get 'em!" she yelled.

_"Thank you Aria,"_ thought Fenrir as he released Ranshi and jumped away. Before Ranshi could recover from the first attack, Fenrir was already back in his face, attacking him with tooth and claw.

He had forgotten the most important thing. He was no longer a wild silver wolf. He was one who lived with a warm loving human family. A family that took care of him when he was sick and played with him when he was well. Kyle, the one who fought with him. Yue, the woman who didn't like him much at first, brushed him. And Aria. The girl who was always with him. Even as a baby when she would tug on his tail constantly and if he tried to leave she would cry.

"I have a family now," growled Fenrir as he ducked in again. His long front claws, sharpened by Yue, raked against Ranshi's side before he retreated again. "One that cares about me." He ran in again and clamped down on Ranshi's tail and twisted his body away at the same time so Ranshi couldn't bite him.

Snow sprayed into the air from their fight but as it landed on Fenrir, it wasn't cold and harsh. The snow held memories. Warm memories of playing in the snow with Aria. Fighting monsters on the mountains with Kyle. Pulling the sled where Yue put the shopping bags on. Everything held dear memories.

Ranshi howled and fell down in the snow. Fenrir backed up a step and looked down at the wolf that used to be his friend. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I cannot return to the life I had before."

Ranshi looked up at Fenrir but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," Fenrir lifted his head to the sky and released a howl as the same time the life of his old friend bled into the snow. As the silver wolf lowered his head he felt the pain of his wounds return.

His eyes traveled to Aria but he couldn't move towards her for his legs gave way under him. "Go back," he told the young girl. He begged for her to understand. "Please go back!"

Aria didn't obey Fenrir's plea. Instead she ran towards him and grabbed his silver fur in a spot without injury and pressed her face into it. "You won't die," she whispered. "You won't die!"

Fenrir couldn't see Aria but he could feel her tears. Her cold tears. Using the last of his strength he lifted his bushy tail and draped it over the girl before darkness took him.

When he opened his eyes, his first thought was how warm it was in the forest of beginnings. But it was an odd warmth for it warmed one side of his body more than the other. His next thought was why the forest of beginnings looked like Kyle's home.

"Fenrir!"

Fenrir yelped in surprise as Aria seemed to pop out of nowhere. The young girl clutched the wolf in a warm hug. "Daddy saved you!" she said as she stroked the wolf's fur. "He found us a bit after you were unconscious and used Escape to get you out of there and he then carried you home and healed you but he wasn't able to heal you fully."

"Now now Aria," Kyle walked over and gently pried his daughter off the wolf. "I think Fenrir needs his rest. Why don't you go get him something to eat from the kitchen?"

"'Kay!" Aria got up and Fenrir's eyes followed her until she reached the kitchen before moving back to look at Kyle.

"I almost lost you there old friend," whispered Kyle as he began checking the bandages on Fenrir's legs and back. "I used more magic today than I ever did."

"You didn't have to," said Fenrir.

Kyle, like always, knew what Fenrir said. "No. I couldn't." He smiled. "Fenrir. You're family." He turned to Aria who had returned with slab of meat that was almost bigger than her.

Fenrir lifted his head and let off a happy bark as the young girl dropped it in front of him. "Eat up Fenrir!" she said as she crouched in front of him. "Mommy says you have to eat a lot to get better so I brought you a lot!"

Fenrir laughed and his eyes traveled from father to daughter and back. These two and Yue were his family. The warmth of their home and lives were his as well. It was foolish of him to say he should have died. The warmth in this family would have diminished if he was gone. With his family watching him he began eating the meat.


End file.
